New Ministry

I figure a little update on my ministries is in order seeing as my last post left a bit of a cliff hanger.

I spent my afternoons all last week helping out at The Alliance for International Monasticism with this massive project that involved entering a few hundred foreign mailing addresses into a computer mailing system. I promise you, it's just as fun as it sounds. It was a nice way to spend a few afternoons as I was in a room alone, plucking along through about 15 sheets of info, listening to music and dancing to my heart's content.

This week began my new afternoon ministry placements that I'll remain in until the program ends- which is in August, for the curious folks out there who can't remember when I started this whole thing. I'll spend 3 days a week helping out with grounds keeping and general odd jobs around the Mount. For example, Tuesday and today I washed lots of windows. I smell like windex and vinegar and my hands aren't the right color. But guess what? It was fantastic. I love manual labor, I love being able to get outside in the sun for a little bit, and I like the idea of doing little odd jobs that enhance the monastery. I can't even tell you how many sisters saw me up on the ladder, scraping sap off the dirty windows, and stopped to thank me. It made me appreciate what I was doing even more.

And there's something nice about repetitive work like that. I could enjoy the quiet or I could put on some music (I've been favoring the sisters' "Te Deum" CD while I've been working this week) and just work. It's prayerful. I'm really going to enjoy it especially because I'll be doing quite a bit of work outside and it's almost summer, so I can really enjoy the sun and the beautiful weather this time of year. Bring it on.

Besides all that, on Wednesdays I'll be helping out in the infirmary and assisted living wing. There are a couple sisters in particular they want me to work with, but I'll really get to spend time with almost everyone up there. I'll get to help with exercises and activities, walk around the grounds, put puzzles together, play games or just sit and talk with the sisters. My first afternoon on Wednesday was a great experience, I'm really looking forward to what this ministry placement will bring. Maybe I'll discover a new area in social work to focus on that maybe wouldn't have crossed my mind. The possibilities!

I'm really excited for these new placements. I was definitely ready for something entirely different from what I'd been doing. This feels good, and I'm happy for it.